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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

The furious animation of children

The differences among the children were startling, and yet, in the end, their faces mingled. Above all, the tapes revealed the furious animation of children, the fact that when conscious they rarely stop moving. A simple walk down the block included waving, hopping, skipping, twirling, and multiple pauses to examine a piece of litter, pet a dog, or jump up and walk along a cement barrier or low fence. In a schoolyard or playground, they jostled, punched, elbowed, kicked, poked, patted, hugged, pinched, tugged, yelled, laughed, chanted, and sang, and while I watched them, I said to myself that growing up really means slowing down.

2 comments:

I remember that I enjoyed reading this book years ago and that I liked it a lot but for the life of me I can't really remember what went on other than it involves an artist and a painting. She does write very well and there are shades of her husband's style (Paul Auster) in her prose.

Such a terrific citation.Reminds me so much of my own childhood, and the energy and fascination that has somehow dissipated.... well, maybe not so much the fascination, that's still there, but the energy. Oh, yes.